An image that's been circulating since early last month when Square Enix's Bravely Default came out for European 3DS demonstrates how Japan's nearly naked 15-year-olds become Europe's slightly more sensibly dressed 18-year-olds.

Reader eiffel65 sent in a link to the image above, which shows the Japanese version of Square Enix's role-playing game on the right, and the more subdued European version on the other right, AKA left. The clothing is less revealing, in case you missed it. Certain characters have also had their ages increased to 18 from 15. There's a good chance the European version is the same one we'll be getting in North America, though knowing my country they might take it further and make them 35-year-old nuns.

This is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Western localization of story-heavy Japanese games. We have to make sure no one under 18 can be considered sexy. We have to strip the innuendo from the conversations, as mentioned in IGN's article on the image, to keep our children from getting dangerously aroused to the point of self immolation.

I am fine with this. If I need it sexier, I can always write fan fiction. What bothers me is why the hell we have to wait until February 7 for Bravely Default in the States. *taps foot impatiently*